WILTSHIRE Council leader Philip Whitehead has denied claims they left Wiltshire Air Ambulance in the lurch after the Novichok attack in Salisbury in 2018.
He was responding to claims by Liberal Democrats Ian Thorn and Brian Dalton that the council failed to give sufficient support to WAA's efforts to reclaim over £100,000 from the government for the costs incurred in dealing with the incident.
The charity says it cost thousands to decontaminate its aircraft and support crews after flying to the aid of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia and the fatal poisoning of Dawn Sturgess in June 2018.
Cllrs Thorn and Dalton submitted a motion to Tuesday's full council meeting urging the council to press the government to honour its commitment to paying the compensation.
Despite enlisting the support of Wiltshire's five MPs, WAA has yet to see any of the money.
Cllr Whitehead said: "We did not leave them in the lurch. To say otherwise, is incredibly detrimental to Wiltshire Council."
Councillors voted 73-0 to support the campaign for fair treatment and make further representations to the government to meet the costs.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel